Kolkata :

It’s that time of the year again when, every evening, huge crowds line up in front of eateries for the Ramzan dish, the haleem, which ranks high in the order of preference for foodies and, in equal measure, for the faithful who observe ‘Roza’ (fasting).

The stew is a popular ‘iftaar’ dish across the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian sub-continent. In Kolkata, it is not just the Muslims, but gourmets from other communities too who love ‘haleem’, which means ‘patience’ in Persian because of the time and effort required to prepare it. A debate also rages on which eatery serves the best ‘haleem’.

The top ‘haleem’ picks are from Shiraz, Arsalan, Aminia, Zeeshan, Royal Indian Hotel, Shabir’s (Bowbazar), Islamia, Aliah and Sufia, to name a few. All claim their ‘haleem’ to be special, thanks to the zealously-guarded ‘secret ingredients’ they say they put in.

“Haleem came along with the Arab and Persian settlers to India. But the most remarkable thing about the haleem is that the original way of cooking this dish has not been changed. Arabs used aromatic spices in their food, which has been retained in our version,” said Ishtiaque Ahmed, partner of Shiraz.

Customers at restaurants like Royal Indian Hotel, Aminia, Sabir’s Hotel and Arsalan and Zeeshan don’t mind shelling out Rs 130-180 for each helping. But for those who cannot afford to pay so much, the eateries around Tipu Sultan Masjid are the solution — they sell ‘haleem’ at Rs 75 a plate while the makeshift stalls sell it for as low
as Rs 20.

Aalamir, one such eatery, is popular for its Halim-e-Firdaus. “Firdaus is a Persian word which means heaven. We use a special recipe, which even the staffers do not know. I keep the spices with me here, at the counter,” said Bashir Mohammad, the fourth-generation owner.

Zakaria Street is another favourite destination for ‘haleem’ lovers. Restaurants and halim ‘vendors’ do brisk business as ‘Roza’ ends. Nawaid Amin, the third generation owner of Aminia, says, “We use a blend of 40 ingredients. Sometimes we get ingredients from Unani and Ayurvedic shops. This was a practice started by my grandfather and we have not tampered with the traditional recipe,” he said.

Actor-anchor Mir doesn’t mind queuing up for the stew. “I love the haleem at Arsalan, but there was such a mad rush I had to wait for an hour. I got it packed for my family. Be it Zeeshan, Arsalan or Shiraz — they all make good haleem. But if you want authentic haleem, you need to go to Colootola,” said Mir.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Shounak Ghosal, TNN / June 27th, 2015